


Cursed Mammon Be

by MiniNephthys



Category: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-24
Updated: 2012-11-24
Packaged: 2017-11-19 10:13:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/572170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An old story.  Older than God.  Few of us remember.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cursed Mammon Be

**Author's Note:**

> This is what you get when you try to reconcile Devil Children to the rest of the canon. You get horrible things.

It is easy to cast a spell on yourself because it is by your consent. Similarly, affecting material objects is easy, and animals do not put up much of a fuss.

To cast a spell on another creature becomes progressively harder the more they resist. When it comes to rewriting what they hold dearly in their hearts, it can be impossible even for someone on the level of a god.

* * *

"Must I fight Belberith?"

Belzaboul's voice is soft, unsure, and his form today is an older, smaller one. He rarely shows such weakness in front of Lucifer, who turns to face him more fully.

"I have no interest in this war. Support him instead, if you like," Lucifer replies.

The one advantage of the body Belzaboul has taken is that he can smile more easily.

* * *

Belphegor and Belberith face each other. No humans are about.

"You've gotten a cult," Belphegor says. "It's impressive."

"Thank you," Belberith says, "little brother."

"I don't want to fight you." Belphegor's face droops. "But one of us has to be the victor."

"It is a difficult problem..." Belberith sighs deeply. "As it happens, there are a number of other Bels that still remain. No one is here to say that we encountered each other before them, is there?"

"Oh! You're right. Then, we'll fight those first, and only fight if we really have to." Belphegor waves, and adds, "We had better part before someone spots us. Good luck, elder brother." He kicks his toilet and rides off.

When Belberith meets Baal, he realizes that the god has absorbed the power of Belphegor already. If he takes special pleasure in defeating him, there are none who would ask him why.

* * *

When Mammon is fused, he says nothing. Kazuya even waves his hand in front of him a few times. No response. Still, when given an enemy to attack, he blasts lightning at them without hesitation, so Kazuya keeps him on the team and thinks little of his silence.

In fact, he thinks little of him at all until Belzaboul stops midsentence and stares at him. "-you've brought Mammon to fight?" Belzaboul asks, more quietly than his usual threatening tone.

Kazuya looks over at Mammon, who hasn't reacted, and at Naoya, who seems as confused as he is. "Is that bad?"

"I will speak to him."

In a haze of darkness the giant fly with scepter and skulls is gone, and in his place is a boy younger than any of them, dressed in green. He approaches, and when Kaido mutters something about attacking Kazuya stills him. "Mammon," Belzaboul says. "Mammon, talk to me."

Mammon looks up and doesn't answer.

"You remember, don't you? That's why you've been so hard to find, and why you're like this. Come on, talk to me." The boy's frown deepens. "What do I have to say to help you? Mirai Kaname, Setsuna-"

Suddenly, a sob emerges from the lips of the demon, followed by a wail heartwrenching enough that even Naoya looks uncomfortable.

Belzaboul pats Mammon on the shoulder, and when that doesn't stop the flow of tears, steps back. "Give him some time. And if he has a story to tell, listen to it. Someone should hear. Now, I think we had a battle?"

Kazuya switches Mammon for another demon. It's all he can do when he knows nothing of what's going on.

* * *

"Why do you hate God so much?" Kazuya asks of Belberith.

He snorts. "As a Bel-"

"That's not all that's going on, is it?" Kazuya presses.

"...Perceptive. Zebul would have told you the stories he told me willingly had you not defeated him, and I have more important things to do. Such as killing you, human Bel!"

* * *

"Summoner."

When Mammon speaks, it's pronounced clearly and with deliberation.

"Ready to talk?" Kazuya asks, sitting across from him. He was in the middle of a conversation with Naoya, but he is King of Bel now: he chooses when to listen and when his time is spent more importantly. Naoya can grumble if he likes.

"An old story. Older than God. Few of us remember." Mammon pauses, and slowly begins to tell of two brothers.

* * *

Once upon a time, in a world very much like this one, there were two brothers. Their names were Setsuna and Nagahisa. Setsuna was the older one, and he'd promised to always take care of his younger brother. Their mother was dead and their father had been missing for a long time.

One day two creatures, strange to him but known to us as demons, came and kidnapped Nagahisa. They took him to Makai, and Setsuna, being the dutiful older brother, followed him there. There he learned how to summon demons, and became stronger. All the while he was searching for his brother and thinking of little else.

It turned out that they were only half brothers. Setsuna was the son of a demon, while Nagahisa was the son of an angel. When Setsuna finally found his brother, he was with the angels, being guided to use his power for their ends - their desire was to purge the world of the filth of demons and humans through appealing to the Star God. Nagahisa judged his brother to be unpure and attacked him.

Setsuna won that battle, and Nagahisa retreated. But the angels continued to strive to wipe out the world of everything but angels. Setsuna could not allow the world to be destroyed, and he continued his journey.

Eventually, as all things do, things came to a head. Nagahisa would not allow his and the angel's goals to be stopped without his death.

And so Setsuna killed him.

The Star God, the creator of the entire world, could be appealed to by one with great power. Setsuna had gained that power, and he told her to make him the new god. She did.

With his power, he rewrote the world from the beginning. He has no love for angels, nor for demons, nor for humans. And he does not take that name any longer.

This is the story that Belzaboul told to his brothers and incited their rage against the one who was once kind and once their brother's friend.

This is the story that Mammon told the humans who most deserved to hear it: the one who would be king of demons and the one who had been cursed for the crime that God considered worst in all the world.

This is the story that Lucifer will never tell, not to his closest companions, for even demons are bent to love their kin.


End file.
